Online Collaboration Lesson
9th Grade English Time: 4-5 weeks

Lesson Overview: Each week, students are responsible for responding to journal prompts given to them at the beginning of the unit. Students will discuss their responses in small groups. Each group is also responsible for the creation of the blog. On the blog, each student must reflect on the journal prompt and the group discussion. This lesson will be one of the components of the project-based learning unit.

Content Area Standards Addressed:
From the Nevada English Language Arts Content Standards (2007):
· Content Standard 6.0 – Students write a variety of texts that inform, persuade, describe, evaluate, entertain, or to tell a story and are appropriate to audience and purpose.
· Content Standard 7.0 – Students listen to and evaluate oral communication for content, style, speaker’s purpose, and audience appropriateness.
· Content Standard 8.0 – Students speak using organization, style, tone, voice, and media aides appropriate to audience and purpose. Students participate in discussions to offer information, clarify ideas, and support a position.
Steps:
At the beginning of the unit, teacher will provide a list of weekly journal prompts that students must respond to individually. Each week, students will record their responses in journals. Students will meet in small groups to discuss their journal responses. By the end of the each week, students must post a blog entry that is a reflection of their personal answer and what they learned from the members of the group.
Technology/Management: Students will be expected to create the group blog on their own time. They will be expected to provide a link to their blog so that the teacher can monitor their blog and ensure students are using the technology in a responsible manner. Students will be enrolled in a computer applications course and it will be up to the discretion of that teacher if students may/may not work on the blog during the course. Students will have plenty of opportunities to use the computers available in the library before and after school.
Diverse Learners: Students who have problems accessing technology will be accommodated through extra time or arrangements to use the classroom computer before or after school. Students will also have the option of completing their assignment on paper and then turning it in by the required due date. It will be up to the student to express their individual learning needs, unless directly noted in an individual education plan (IEP).
Assessment: Each week, students will receive a pass/fail grade on the completion of their blog assignment. At the end of the entire project-based learning unit, students will turn in their journals. The journals will be assessed using a rubric. Students will be given that rubric at the beginning of the unit and will be expected to turn it in with their journals at the completion of the unit.